My question is: Why do they wait so long to go into No Huddle / Hurry Up mode? It seems as though when they finally do, they move the ball. Why not start the game that way???

That could actually work, and I would like to see that. First drive go into no huddle and get the ball moving, team clearly waits to long to start playing. Just think it would played 60 like we play the last 2 minutes of that game. We wouldn't lose.

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October 23rd, 2012, 11:21 am

thelomasbrowns

Pro Bowl Player

Joined: August 24th, 2010, 9:54 pmPosts: 2482

Re: GAMEDAY THREAD: Lions vs. Bears I on MNF

The lone bright spot of last night:

_________________Jim Caldwell, on whether Jim Harbaugh is stealing his thunder: "Me? I don't have any thunder."

October 23rd, 2012, 12:10 pm

LionsFan4Life

Fired Head Coach (0-16 record)

Joined: October 30th, 2004, 12:30 pmPosts: 2205Location: Austin, TX

Re: GAMEDAY THREAD: Lions vs. Bears I on MNF

thelomasbrowns wrote:

The lone bright spot of last night:

I could watch this all day.

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October 23rd, 2012, 12:29 pm

Hystrix

National Champion

Joined: August 13th, 2006, 11:04 pmPosts: 885Location: Washington, DC

Re: GAMEDAY THREAD: Lions vs. Bears I on MNF

LionsFan4Life wrote:

thelomasbrowns wrote:

The lone bright spot of last night:

I could watch this all day.

Agreed. It was a sweet play.

October 23rd, 2012, 1:40 pm

Killwill25

Rookie Player of the Year

Joined: March 5th, 2009, 8:42 pmPosts: 2316Location: Brooklyn, NY

Re: GAMEDAY THREAD: Lions vs. Bears I on MNF

LionsFan4Life wrote:

thelomasbrowns wrote:

The lone bright spot of last night:

I could watch this all day.

Did anyone else see that Brandon Marshall bitched about this via tweeter. "A Suh. What u did to Jay wasn't cool. Great players don't have to do that."Great players don't have to beat women either

_________________Matthew Stafford is the only player in NFL history who is allowed to smoke cigarettes in the team huddle. He just chooses not to

October 23rd, 2012, 1:42 pm

TheRealWags

Modmin Dude

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12296

Re: GAMEDAY THREAD: Lions vs. Bears I on MNF

PFT wrote:

Suh says he doesn’t care if people think he’s a dirty playerPosted by Darin Gantt on October 23, 2012, 11:21 AM EDT

Given that many people already perceive him as a dirty player, Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said he didn’t care if more people thought that after last night’s Greco Roman-style hit on Jay Cutler.

Suh called it a “football play,” and said he was checking on Cutler afterward to see if he was OK.

“People are always going to have their opinions,” Suh said, vua Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune. “It’s not going to hurt my feelings.”

Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall had his opinion, which stood in contrast to Suh’s self-scouting. And there are now multiple reports that the league won’t fine Suh for the hit.

Cutler, who missed one play while trainers checked him out, downplayed the hit. Between the arm around the neck and the “sweep the leg,” action, it probably looked worse than it actually was

“There were no harsh words between us,” Suh said. “I wanted to make sure he was good. I’m never a person to injure anybody and take anybody out of the game.

“That’s why I checked on him when he was there on the ground. I asked one of his people if he was OK. He got up, ran by me, hit me in my stomach and told me he was fine. And later on, I checked on him again.”

Suh and Cutler have similar problems of perception. Because of past behavior, people are going to view any future actions through a certain filter, so even hits that are clean are going to be viewed more skeptically than if another player doles out the same shot.

Did anyone else see that Brandon Marshall bitched about this via tweeter. "A Suh. What u did to Jay wasn't cool. Great players don't have to do that."Great players don't have to beat women either

Yeah. I listened to trhe radio this morning here in DC and they were all saying "How was Suh supposed to tsackle him." People will complain about anything. If you have to complain about a clean hit AFTER you win the game... well that just shows Marshalls character dosn't it?

October 23rd, 2012, 1:48 pm

ZAndrews81

Stadium Announcer

Joined: January 28th, 2011, 2:15 amPosts: 75

Re: GAMEDAY THREAD: Lions vs. Bears I on MNF

@ IEAre you kidding me? Harvin is the best wr in the NFC north and Marshall is better than Calvin? Harvin is more versatile sure but no wr in the last ten years has commanded the coverage Calvin does. How many times does harvin or Marshall get gunner coverage at the goal line? Teams dedicate 2 to 3 guys to Calvin every play, which opens up things for the rest of the O. It won't show up on the stat sheet but he opens everything up for the other guys(not that they catch it but it gives them good matchups)

October 23rd, 2012, 4:22 pm

Pablo

RIP Killer

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 9:21 amPosts: 9596Location: Dallas

Re: GAMEDAY THREAD: Lions vs. Bears I on MNF

Guess it is OK for Julius Pepper to drive Staff's shoulder into the ground ending his season but not OK for Suh to tackle Cutler hard?

A lot of meathead fans were calling into WSCR today (on my drive back from Chicago) complaining about the Suh play, but there was far more of a concensus that it was just a football play - just another sack. And then the one guy on 97.1 in Detroit when I got back over here was complaining about "Chicago fans all excited" ... and he was really overstating it just to get fans talking. A few dumb meatheads don't speak for everybody.

I don't care if people like animated gifs of guys getting hurt -more power to you. I had a great time at the game last night. We had about 20 people at the tailgate - about a 50:50 mix of Detroit and Chicago fans, and cheered on our teams without being meatheads about it. To each, his own.

I thought Suh had one of this best games in a long time last night. And the reason he's been considered dirty in the past wasn't because of plays like yesterday - it was some thug demeanor that went with it. He might be turning a corner and growing up. Yesterday he was just a good football player/warrier until the whistle blows, and after the play he went over to talk to Cutler to make sure he was alright. And Cutler and all the other Bears and coaches just said "a hard hit - not dirty".

Marshall was just talking up protecting his QB... which is understandable. Big deal. But yeah - I think he's playing better and contributing more than Calvin this year. I'm not saying Calvin isn't really good (that would be crazy) ... but he's hasn't been head & shoulders above everyone else. And Peanut Tillman - a great Cover 2 corner but not a lockdown coverage corner - did a great job against him last night.

To answer your question, Pablo - yes, it was OK for Peppers and it was OK for Suh. Neither was cheap or dirty - just hard football.

October 23rd, 2012, 8:36 pm

TheRealWags

Modmin Dude

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12296

Re: GAMEDAY THREAD: Lions vs. Bears I on MNF

PFT wrote:

Brandon Marshall sticks to his guns on Suh hitPosted by Josh Alper on October 24, 2012, 9:23 AM EDT

When Bears quarterback Jay Cutler shrugged off suggestions that Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh’s hit on him Monday night crossed some kind of a line, we suggested that there wouldn’t be any more fuel thrown on that particular fire.

That suggestion has proven to be incorrect. Even though Cutler had no problem with the hit and the NFL deemed it legal, Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who slammed Suh on Twitter following the game, still believes that Suh broke the rules.

Quote:

“Listen, I’m around Jay every day, and I’m going to stand up to this. Jay doesn’t want to create any controversy,” Marshall said, via Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Was it the worst hit? No, it wasn’t the worst hit. But I’ve never seen someone play the game like that. For a wrestling move to be accepted on the football field is ridiculous. It was illegal. It wasn’t borderline illegal. It wasn’t suspect. It was illegal. It’s bad football.”

Marshall’s wrong on this one. The hit was hard and violent, but it was also legal. Hard, violent and legal hits are part of the game, even when they happen to quarterbacks.

Having said that, there are worse moments to be wrong than when you’re getting the back of the player partially responsible for your presence in Chicago and wholly responsible for putting the ball in your hands every week.

After the Detroit Lions' 13-7 loss to the Chicago Bears, here are three issues that merit further examination:

1 You might view this as an overreaction, but I really thought one of the most critical moments of Monday night's game was its third play from scrimmage. On third-and-6 from the Lions' 24-yard line, receiver Calvin Johnson broke wide open across the middle but flat-out dropped a pass in his chest. I'm not sure if Johnson would have scored, but he would have provided the kind of big play the Lions have been lacking early in games this season. A scoring drive on their first possession would have been an important confidence booster and an indication the Lions had turned the corner and moved past their slow starts. Instead, the Lions were forced to punt. The Bears turned their first possession into a touchdown, and once again the Lions faced a first-quarter deficit. This season, the Lions have been outscored 40-21 in the first quarter.

2 Depth among the Lions' receiving corps is thinner following Nate Burleson's season-ending broken leg. That's a bad thing. But I for one am interested to see the impact rookie Ryan Broyles can have after five games spent mostly on the sideline. Lions coaches have spoken highly of Broyles' instinctive knowledge of the short middle of the field, and that's where opposing defenses should be vulnerable when they play deep safeties against Johnson. The Lions don't often run four-receiver sets, and some of their three "receiver" sets actually include tight end Tony Scheffler. But Burleson's injury will give Broyles will get a chance to have a significant and unique impact during his rookie season.

3 I've never been a fan of the "Shaq Suh" defense of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, but in the case of Monday night's sack of the Bears' Jay Cutler, it actually applies. As the defense goes, Suh is so strong and athletic that the plays he makes look dirty or based in malice simply because so few players are capable of it. (Much as the NBA's Shaquille O'Neal believed he was targeted for fouls because he was so much bigger than everyone else.) Monday night, Suh grabbed Cutler's left arm with his left hand and grabbed Cutler's left shoulder with his right hand. As momentum carried him around Cutler's body, Suh kicked out his right leg to upend Cutler suddenly before falling on top of him. (Video here via NFL.com.) Receiver Brandon Marshall has objected to Suh's leg whip, but when you watch the play in slow motion, you realize how rare it is that someone as big as Suh could take down a 220-pound opponent with so little leverage. In this instance, at least, the play was more unique than it was dirty.

And here is one issue I still don't get:

When will the heat turn up in Detroit? Or will it? In a season of high anticipation, the Lions have lost four of their first six games. Since starting 5-0 last season, in fact, they are 7-11, including the playoffs. After that playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints, we suggested the Lions should no longer be complimented for progress and moral victories. Their rehabilitation had reached the point where they should be judged as any other successful franchise. In the big picture, the Lions are losing games in similar ways this season: early deficits, an inability to get defenses out of deep zones and special-teams mistakes. It's fair to expect repeated problems to be addressed and rectified at some point. Otherwise, it seems reasonable to expect accountability. I don't think it would be remotely fair to be discussing the job security of general manager Martin Mayhew or coach Jim Schwartz, but it's also not 2009, either. Close shouldn't be good enough anymore

There's been plenty of criticism of Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan over the past several weeks, but is it really his fault the Lions are struggling to get going early? Watching the film, the Lions continue to leave plays, and points, on the field.

Here are a few examples of critical player breakdowns:

First, everyone has mentioned Calvin Johnson's drop on the first series. We'll get back to that, but on the play before, running back Mikel Leshoure stumbled and fell in the backfield on what should have been a big gain.

Leshoure took the handoff up the middle against a six-man box. Each offensive lineman had a nice seal on their individual assignment, but as the running back made his initial cut, he tripped over his own feet. He was able to get back up and turn the play into a four-yard gain, but just look at the open space he had in front of him.

On Johnson's third down drop, the Bears were playing zone, with five players spread out six yards back from the line of scrimmage and two players covering the deep parts of the field. Johnson lined up wide left and ran a post, coming open between the two layers of zone. Had he caught the pass at the 40-yard line, he had just the two deep players to beat, and with his speed, it's a very real possibility he takes it all the way to the house.

In the second quarter, on a 3rd-and-11 from the 50-yard line, the Lions used Johnson as a decoy to draw the lone deep safety away from the middle of the field.

Titus Young was in the slot on the right side of the formation with Johnson lined up wide to that side. Johnson ran a go route to the outside of the cornerback along the sideline. The safety, not wanting to let Johnson get free deep, immediately came over to help.

On the opposite side, the cornerback that started over Burleson dropped back into a deep zone, but stayed close to the sideline, leaving the middle of the field wide open.

Stafford had plenty of time since he was provided extra pass protection with Brandon Pettigrew and Joique Bell lined up in the backfield.

With the deep middle of the field open, Young ran a post pattern and got behind his man. As he became free behind the coverage, Stafford looked to deliver a strike.

The throw was long and behind Young, sailing over the receiver's outstretched arms at the 25-yard line. With no defender over the top, if the pass hits Young in stride, it's an easy touchdown. Instead, the Lions are forced to punt.

In addition to these three plays, the Lions twice had blown pass blocking assignments on third downs. Of course, there was also Leshoure's fumble in the red zone late in the half.

Is the play-calling perfect? No, but that's not ever going to happen. The point is, even when the play call opened up opportunities, the Lions failed to execute.

Maybe Johnson gets dragged down at midfield on the first series, but that's a lot better than punting from your own 24-yard line. Maybe Young falls or is caught by a defender after the reception, but you're still well in field goal range at that point. Obviously, Leshoure's fumble cost Detroit some points as well.

Linehan isn't perfect but he has put the players in the right position to make plays many times and players have failed to execute.

_________________Proud member of the Contract Extension for Schwartz Fan Club.

After the Detroit Lions' 13-7 loss to the Chicago Bears, here are three issues that merit further examination:

1 You might view this as an overreaction, but I really thought one of the most critical moments of Monday night's game was its third play from scrimmage. On third-and-6 from the Lions' 24-yard line, receiver Calvin Johnson broke wide open across the middle but flat-out dropped a pass in his chest. I'm not sure if Johnson would have scored, but he would have provided the kind of big play the Lions have been lacking early in games this season. A scoring drive on their first possession would have been an important confidence booster and an indication the Lions had turned the corner and moved past their slow starts. Instead, the Lions were forced to punt. The Bears turned their first possession into a touchdown, and once again the Lions faced a first-quarter deficit. This season, the Lions have been outscored 40-21 in the first quarter.

2 Depth among the Lions' receiving corps is thinner following Nate Burleson's season-ending broken leg. That's a bad thing. But I for one am interested to see the impact rookie Ryan Broyles can have after five games spent mostly on the sideline. Lions coaches have spoken highly of Broyles' instinctive knowledge of the short middle of the field, and that's where opposing defenses should be vulnerable when they play deep safeties against Johnson. The Lions don't often run four-receiver sets, and some of their three "receiver" sets actually include tight end Tony Scheffler. But Burleson's injury will give Broyles will get a chance to have a significant and unique impact during his rookie season.

3 I've never been a fan of the "Shaq Suh" defense of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, but in the case of Monday night's sack of the Bears' Jay Cutler, it actually applies. As the defense goes, Suh is so strong and athletic that the plays he makes look dirty or based in malice simply because so few players are capable of it. (Much as the NBA's Shaquille O'Neal believed he was targeted for fouls because he was so much bigger than everyone else.) Monday night, Suh grabbed Cutler's left arm with his left hand and grabbed Cutler's left shoulder with his right hand. As momentum carried him around Cutler's body, Suh kicked out his right leg to upend Cutler suddenly before falling on top of him. (Video here via NFL.com.) Receiver Brandon Marshall has objected to Suh's leg whip, but when you watch the play in slow motion, you realize how rare it is that someone as big as Suh could take down a 220-pound opponent with so little leverage. In this instance, at least, the play was more unique than it was dirty.

And here is one issue I still don't get:

When will the heat turn up in Detroit? Or will it? In a season of high anticipation, the Lions have lost four of their first six games. Since starting 5-0 last season, in fact, they are 7-11, including the playoffs. After that playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints, we suggested the Lions should no longer be complimented for progress and moral victories. Their rehabilitation had reached the point where they should be judged as any other successful franchise. In the big picture, the Lions are losing games in similar ways this season: early deficits, an inability to get defenses out of deep zones and special-teams mistakes. It's fair to expect repeated problems to be addressed and rectified at some point. Otherwise, it seems reasonable to expect accountability. I don't think it would be remotely fair to be discussing the job security of general manager Martin Mayhew or coach Jim Schwartz, but it's also not 2009, either. Close shouldn't be good enough anymore

That first Calvin drop; he catches that, we most likely would've scored, had the momentum, and the Bears TD drive doesn't exist. The rest just dug us into even seeped a hole. We played better than good enough to win this game.

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October 24th, 2012, 2:12 pm

hamma77

Heisman Winner

Joined: December 8th, 2008, 3:16 pmPosts: 785

Re: GAMEDAY THREAD: Lions vs. Bears I on MNF

I love the way Alphonso played that 2nd half man..He came out lookin rusty but fixed it up real quick and saved us atleast 10 points on that swat and on the Hester tackle.